MILITARY: Bringing their A game

Tom Pfingsten - For the North County Times

ESCONDIDO ---- The United States Marine Corps versus the police:
It may sound like a clash of titans, but the organizers of next
month's Defender Bowl at Escondido High School insist that it's a
friendly game of football for a good cause.

Dreamed up by 22-year Escondido Police Department veteran Neal
Griffin, the bowl pits San Diego's team in the National Public
Safety Football League, the Enforcers, against the Bulldogs, a
Marine Corps team based at Camp Pendleton.

Griffin said on Tuesday that proceeds from the $5 tickets to the
March 5 game will help to build a 1st Marine Regiment memorial
garden at Camp Pendleton, as well as help fund various local youth
and educational initiatives.

"What we're talking about is a place where Marines and their
families and loved ones gather and pay their respects to Marines
who have made the ultimate sacrifice," said Griffin, a Marine Corps
veteran. He estimates that a third of the Escondido police force
also served in the Corps.

"The garden itself, to get it the way we want it, would be well
over $100,000," he continued. "But last year we raised $10,000, and
this year we hope to raise an equal amount, or more, and we're
going to keep chipping away at it."

He said the plan is to install the garden in the Camp Horno area
on base.

"We have a very special connection with the military in general,
but with the Marine Corps in particular," said Griffin.

With athletes hailing from several police departments, the
Border Patrol, and other agencies, the Enforcers play in a minor
league that includes teams of law enforcement officers and
firefighters from around the country, Griffin explained.

Their games typically draw at least 1,000 people, and all the
teams in the league are nonprofit organizations that play to raise
money for charity.

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, are a squad of Marines who played
football in high school and still have talent on the field, said
Master Sgt. Richard Diaz, one of the team's coaches.

"Marines, by nature, are competitive, so we definitely play to
win ---- that's the only way you can play football," said Diaz.
"But I don't think anybody looks at it like a rivalry or anything
like that."

Regarding the memorial garden, Diaz said: "It's a really good
cause. It's going to be a beautiful thing. Any time we can honor a
fallen Marine, even by playing a football game, that's a cause that
every Marine's going to jump on."

When they meet on Saturday, March 5, the two teams will play by
NCAA rules ---- meaning full-contact, tackle football.

And Griffin said the Marines are likely to bring their A
game.

Last year, during the inaugural Defender Bowl, the Enforcers
beat the Marine Corps team 19-3 "in really poor conditions," he
said. "The Marines weren't able to use their best weapon, their
speed and agility. So it was a different kind of game. If we get
some good conditions this year, it should be very interesting."

Pre-game events begin at 2 p.m. at Escondido High with food,
physical fitness drills for kids, K-9 demonstrations and other
activities. Kickoff is at 5 p.m.

"It was great ---- the camaraderie was exceptional," said
Griffin, who is on the Enforcers' board of directors, of last
year's event. "At the end of the game, we all got together to
remember what we were there for.

"I think this year they're really going to bring it, and it's
going to be a really good game," he said.

Escondido High School is located at 1535 North Broadway. For
more information about the Defender Bowl, visit
www.sandiegoenforcers.com.